O2 pops out vital new feature: Making phone calls from phones

O2 has launched TU Go, the awaited VoIP service allowing customers to make and receive calls from five devices at the same time. The move is no surprise: O2 has been promising TU Go for a while, but its now available to all contract customers who can sign up and download the apps for iOS, Android and Windows 7. Calls are …

[dogged]

The problem, as I understand it, is that even VOIP to VOIP calls cost you minutes or money. Which means that there's no benefit over Skype to Skype and even a hefty downside.

Normally, I'd be all for it but frankly, a means of actually getting O2 service inside my house on my phone would be better.

[jonathanb]

The benefits as I see it are that you can make and receive calls if you have wifi, but no phone signal, and you can make and receive calls abroad without roaming charges if you have wifi or a local SIM.

[Andrew Baines]

AND

The advantage is the ability to have one number wherever you are. That's it!

[Georges]

EXACTLY. People are missing the point. It is NOT SKYPE and they never said so. Also, I can have coffee, read my mail, news and answer calls and text which using Ipad without taking out my phone as long as I am connected to the cafeteria's WiFi and in most palaces you can.

[John Brown (no body)]

"connected to the cafeteria's WiFi and in most palaces you can."

Most of us plebs don't live in palaces though. Lucky you.

[Anonymous Coward]

@dogged

The vast majority of O2's tarrifs now offer unlimited voice and this doesn't really become an issue, they want you to pay a fixed amount a month for service then bill you varying amounts for the connectivity eg the data bundles. This is where the industry is going.

[Hairy Spod]

erm thats exactly what it does!!

I have very little O2 coverage in my house, but thanks to installing Tu Go over the weekend and linking my phone to my own wifi I can make and receive calls/text messages.

[Anonymous Coward]

Saves on conversion..

.. given that most of your signal is carried internally by the telco as VoIP already anyway.

[Anonymous Coward]

Will all the devices ring at the same time?

Or will you be limited to call divert?

[Anonymous Coward]

Lawnmower Man

[Wheaty73]

Not bad...

Some issues - on W7/8 it doesn't use your contacts from the PC so you only see the number of incoming calls/messages not the name, and on my Nexus 7 it doesn't respect orientation of the tablet properly - it always wants to operate in portrait with the camera at the top, even if I am holding it upside down or sideways. Doesn't take over the default dialler on my 2.3 Android phone either (which is a shame) and SMS come through "twice" - once on the phone and once in TuGo.

Apart from that, all devices do ring at once, and you can answer on anything. Call quality is dependant on bandwidth but is fine over 3G or 2Mbs WiFi.

A really good first effort. Needs a Mac client though :)

[david bates]

Re: Not bad...

Its O2 software - its GOING to be horrible. Their couponny thing is something ridiculous like 3meg for something that only seems to check your location and then dial home to get local offers.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Not bad...

That's what I don't understand, why operators blow so much of our money (we pay for this crap) on bad software which they think will help them retain customers. When in fact it is pricing, customer service, reception and reliability that are what they need to provide.

[Silverburn]

awaited VoIP service allowing customers to make and receive calls from five devices at the same time

That's good, because I was wondering when I'd be able to make practical use of my five ears and five mouths.

<-- Needs Alien *and* Joke icons.

[Andrew Baines]

Not working for me

I just get told that my account isn't supported. Business monthly contract - who else do they want? Will try again later, but if this works, I'll be staying with O2 instead of switching to Three for their better data service.

[TonyJ]

Re: Not working for me

Exactly the same issue - a three handset business contract and told it isn't the correct type of contract....seriously, O2?

[Andrew Baines]

Re: Not working for me

Found it - it's only available on personal pay monthly. No business contracts - yet.

Wish they'd hurry up.

[wjat]

Should I Skype or should I TU go now....

with apologies to the Clash...http://www.theregister.co.uk/Design/graphics/icons/comment/coat_32.png

[jonathanb]

Re: Should I Skype or should I TU go now....

I plan to use both. Skype for calling other Skype customers, and Skype-out for international calls. Tu Go for incomming calls and calls to UK numbers covered by my bundled minutes.

[TonyJ]

Yup...'working on support for business contracts'

From http://www.o2.co.uk/tugo/want-it :

Only available for Pay Monthly at the moment. Calls and texts come out of your bundle. We're working on TU Go for Pay and Go and Business customers.

[James Delaney]

Not perfect but still great and Re: Yup...'working on support for business contracts' and

Business contracts can get a femtocell with business level support. I'm not sure Tu Go is even close to reliable enough to run your business from it.

Still, for 'consumers' (I hate to think that we're lumped in with locusts) it's brilliant. Especially as where I live though we have a road, community, train station and even streetlights, any sort of mobile phone signal is still too much to expect.

Since Tu Go arrived I've not felt so disconnected from the rest of the country and can finally make and receive calls from home :)

[Captain Hogwash]

Bye bye femtocells

Other implications still being studied.

[Georges]

Works perfect- but not complete yet

I have been using it for few days now to send./receive calls and text message. True, it will use your contract and not cheaper than Skype. that is not the point of this app at all. it is for when you are using you Ipad and you receive phones calls, text etc, you can use the Ipad to answer or write texts. You don't have to worry if the phone is not next to you while using your Ipad. If you are like me, you like to go and have a cup of coffee at your beloved cafeteria and reading the news while connecting to their WiFi, and you got a phone call or a text message, surely it is far easier to use the Ipad ... No? I can name many other situations, however, each has his own way of living. It got my 5 stars, still need to implement MMS and video call.

[BristolBachelor]

Mobile VOIP

Well I've been using VOIP on my mobile since 2008 (Nokias E series used to have SIP client built-in). Using SIPgate, you also have several devices registered and ringing at the same time.

However, I was told that you are not allowed to port mobile numbers to VOIP because mobile numbers have a higher termination cost because of the cost of the mobile network. So how do O2 justify charging the mobile termination rate, but not routing the call over the mobile network? IMHO it's time to do away with the mobile termination rate (or the mobile termination rate rules) and flatten everything.

[eJ2095]

Nice

Wish Virgin mobile would implement this

Handy when i visit my partents in forest of dean as no phone signal in the valley where they are but they have broadband and wifi

[Nelbert Noggins]

and a way to keep revenue from voice calls once they have thrown the home phone and broadband to Sky...

[Anonymous Coward]

Has this new feature broken the rest of O2

Today, O2 mobile service delivery has had 2 breakages

1) Locked Voicemails that cannot be unlocked

2) Calls to its network diverted to other phones, and users making the call receiving "dead" tone

Don't know if anyone know whats going on over at O2, but may someone has flown an arrow into the big tent and this has ruptured the comms kit.

Hey ho - I wait for better mobile phone times